Tweets of the Week: Brexit Dinner, Vaccine Winner and Single Seat

Boris and Ursula have ill-fated dinner, UK bizarrely claims it’s the world vaccine winner, and in the single seat row things have rarely been grimmer.

This week we are sponsored by SGI Europe, more about them later on.

It was supposed to be the big Brexit Finale, the crunch point to end all crunch points, but in the end it was just another damp squib.

“I’ve seen this movie before…” tweeted Beatrice Rios.

If British PM Boris Johnson was in a good mood as he set off to Brussels for dinner with Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, he wasn’t by the time he headed home.

Much was made of Boris’ dishevelled appearance.

And the fact that fish was on the menu… Bruno Waterfield broke out ALL the puns

“Barnier says no plaice for compromise. You’re so shellfish complains Frost. Boris sells his sole. Thank cod, says VdL, we’re all just prawns in Macron’s game.”

You get the picture.

Jack Parrock mused that “maybe they’d be eating their words?”

And so it seems as both sides issued short to the point of terse statements.

We had a lively & interesting discussion on the state of play on outstanding issues. 

We understand each other’s positions. They remain far apart, said VDL.

This is diplomatese for “our positions were not even in the same zip code” said Richard N. Haass.

In the EU we don’t say: “Dinner was boring, we are not a good match” we say “We gained a clear understanding of each other’s positions. They remain far apart”. And I think it’s beautiful, added DG Meme.

This week we are supported by SGI Europe representing providers of Services of General Interest. This week they changed their name from CEEP to SGI Europe. To find out more about how Services of General Interest will be central to the post-COVID recovery, visit them online. 

On Tuesday Margaret Keenan became the first person in the world to receive a Covid-19 vaccine outside of trials.

But of course there was controversy as the British government once again managed to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory.

MP for Reading Alok Sharma, couldn’t help but beam with patriotic pride as he claimed that “In years to come, we will remember this moment as the day the UK led humanity’s charge against this disease.” While others dubbed it V-day.

Belgian PM Alexander de Croo was cool as a cucumber as he tweeted “Made in Europe.”

That won’t convince the conspiracy theorists who believe a shadowy cabal of billionaires is trying to take over the world, Alex!

 

As Cornelius Mendez jokingly wondered how Bill Gates is going to spend his second day in control of Margaret Keenan, 90, from Coventry.

Finally this week it’s the Strasbourg single seat debacle all over again! Yes, I know it’s a bit like Groundhog Day, don’t blame me, blame 2020.

European Parliament President David Sassoli said he would go to Strasbourg to formally open the plenary session, but that all the MEPs would work remotely from Brussels or home.

We are hitting a new level of absurdity with the two-seats drama, said Beatrice Rios.

MEP Assistant said Sassoli attending the plenary from Strasbourg on his own is the equivalent of someone jumping on a grenade to save his pals.

Or just plain weird.

I’m going with, weird.

I know that politics is about symbols, but should we congratulate ourselves on symbols when they are so ridiculous? Asked Jean-François Gérard.

Michiel van Hulten is just incredulous: The President of the European Parliament is travelling to Strasbourg *by himself* to open a ghost plenary session, and will then travel back to Brussels for the actual work. All because France can’t accept the world has moved on. Madness.

That’s what one would call a ‘non-essential trip’ quipped Christoph Schmidt.

That’s it for this week. Join me next Friday for a special wrap up of the year, as we look back on the highlights – ha! – of 2020.